Ribosomes are microscopic machines found within all living cells. Found on the rough endoplasmic reticulum and in the cytoplasm, the main function of ribosomes is to synthesize proteins. Ribosomes are able to make proteins by “reading” information contained within messenger RNA (mRNA). The information contained within the mRNA contains the instructions for the ribosome to assemble the proteins bit-by-bit.
Proteins are made up of chains of organic molecules called amino acids. Ribosomes grab amino acids and link them together to create proteins in a process termed translation. During translation, every protein must be folded correctly in order to function properly.
Another of the ribosome's function is to mediate the proper folding of proteins.